Car-brake



L. s. FISH.

GAR BRAKE. V

Patented Jan 7, 1896.

{No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

LUTHER S. FISH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,609, dated January *7, 1896.

Application filed September 30, 1895. Serial No. 564,155. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER S. FISH, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to improvements in brakes more especially designed for use on street-cars; and the invention pertains particularly to the mechanism employed for applying brakes, the object being to provide actuating mechanismwhereby the brakes are capable of being more quickly applied than heretofore and require comparatively little exertion on the part of the operator.

WVith this object in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one end of a street-car provided with my improved brake mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top plan in section on line 2 2, Fig. 1, and shows a metallic plate seated in the platform and bearing the foot opcrated brake-pawl. The brake-shaft is shown in this figure in its normal or inoperative position and engages the inner end of the slot provided in said plate and arranged in a direction parallel to the direction in which the brake-beam moves. Fig. 3 corresponds with Fig. 2, except that it shows the brakeshaft in an operative position. Fig. 4 shows a transverse section of the brake-shaft, and shows chains E and G wound upon the shaft.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the platform of a street-car 5 A, the clash-guard of said platform; a, a bracket secured to the inner side of the dash-guard a suitable distance above the platform, and Ct a bracket secured to the under side of the platform below the I dash-guard.

B designates the upright brake-shaft that extends through the platform and is located a suitable distance from the inner side of the dash-guard A and bracket (1.

Shaft B extends through a vertical hole a in bracket a and through a slot A in platform A, and said slot A is arranged longitudinally of the car, or parallel to the direction in which the brake-beam O is actuated. Bracket a, it will therefore be observed, affords lateral bearing for the upper end of the brakeshaft. Two collars b b rigidly secured to or formed upon shaft B at the upper side and lower side, respectively, of bracket 0. prevent vertical displacement of the brakeshaft. The brake-shaft extends a suitable distance above bracket a and at its upper end is provided with a hand-wheelB that has a handle I) for turning the same. O designates one of the brake-heads with which beam 0 is provided, which head upon the application of the brakes is adapted to frictionally engage the periphery of the car-wheel D. The brake-shaft extends a suitable distance below platform A, and E designates a chain or cable that is suitably attached at one end to the brake-shaft and at its opposite end is suitably attached to bracket a.

G designates a chain or cable that at one end is operatively connected with the brakebeam, and at its opposite end is operatively connected with the brake-shaft, and the connection of chain G with the brake-shaft consists, preferably, of two shorter chain-sections G G attached to the brake-shaft equal distances above and below chain E, respectively-that is, chain G is attached to the brake-shaft a suitable distance above chain E, and chain G is attached to said shaft a corresponding distance below chain E. Chainsections G G constitute a part of the brakebeam and brake -shaft connecting chain or cable, and when I refer to the brake-shaft and brake-beam connecting chain or cable in this specification I mean the cable-sections G, G and G Chain E and the brake-beam and brake-shaft connecting chain or cable are adapted to wind upon the brake-shaft from opposite sides, respectively, of said shaft in such amanner that both of said chains or cables shall be wound upon the shaft when the latter is turned in the direction required to apply the brakes, as shown in Fig. 4. Of course the brake-shaft inthe application of the brakes will be tilted somewhat laterally and longitudinally of the car, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and the provision of slot A in the platform and a somewhat oblique arrangement or enlargement of hole a in bracket a accommodate the tilting of the brake-shaft in the application of the brakes. It will be observed that in turning the brakeshaft in the direction required to apply the brakes chain or cable G is wound upon said shaft, and thereby renders the connected break head or heads operative, and chain or cable E is simultaneously wound upon the shaft and exerts a pull upon chain or cable G in the direction required to apply the brakes.

It will therefore be observed that by my improved brake actuating mechanism the brakes are very rapidly applied, and their application requires little exertion on the part of the operator. The provision of chain-sections G G2 a suitable distance above and below chain E, respectively, enables the location of chain E in the same horizontal plane with the chain-section Gr, so that in the application of the brakes the pull upon said chain-section G shall be at a point centrally between the points at which chain-sections G G 'are attached to the brake-shaft, and hence mutilation or injury to the brake-shaft during the application of the brakes is positi vely avoided.

The means employed for securing the brakeshaft in its operative position consists, preferably, of a ratchet-wheel II, operatively mounted or formed upon said shaft above platform A and adapted to be engaged by a dog or pawl I, vertically pivoted to the upper side of a plate K, that is secured in any approved manner to the platform and is pref erably seated within a recess A formed in I said platform. Plate K is of course provided with a slot K that registers with slot A through the platform, so as not to interfere with the tilting movement of the brakeshaft in the application of the brakes.

The brake-shaft, in its inoperative position, engages the inner end of slot A and the location of dog or pawl I is such that it shall be adapted to be brought into engagement with the ratchet-wheel upon tilting the brake-shaft from its normal or inoperative position (shown in Fig. 2) into its operative position, (shown in Fig. 3,) and said pawl or dog is of course provided with an arm or foot-lever I to render it capable of being actuated by the foot of the operator.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a brake,the combination with a brakehead; a brake-shaft; chain or cable operatively connected, at one end, with the brakeshaft and extending laterally of one side of said shaft, and operatively connected, at its opposite end, with the brake-head; of arelatively stationary member located a suitable distance from and at the opposite side of said shaft, and a chain or cable connected at one end to said stationary member, and operatively connected, at its opposite end, with the brake-shaft, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

2. In a brake, the combination with the brake-shaft B capable of tilting laterally substantially as indicated; brake-head; chain G operatively connected, at one end, with said head, and chain-sections G G connecting the opposite end of said chain G with the brakeshaft at two different points located a suitable distance apart, of the relatively stationary member a, and the chain or cable E, all arranged and operating substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

3. In a brake for street-ears, the combination with a platform of said car, which platform is provided with the slot A arranged longitudinally of the car; a suitably supported upright brake 7 shaft B extending through said slot and a suitable distance below the platform; a brake-head; a chain or cable operatively connected, at one end, with said head, and operatively connected, at its opposite end, with a brake-shaft below the platform; of a bracket or member to depending from and rigid with the platform, and the chain or cable E, attached at one end, to said depending member, and operatively connected, at its opposite end, with the brakeshaft, all arranged and operating substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

4. In a brake for street-cars, the combina-.

tion of the car-platform provided with a slot A arranged longitudinally of the car; plate K provided with the vertical slot K; the dog or pawl I pivoted vertically to said plate; the upright brake-shaft B; the ratchet-wheel II the brake-head; the chain or cable G operatively connected, at one end, with said head, and operatively connected, at its opposite end, with the brake-shaft; the bracket or depending member a, and the chain or cable E, all arranged and operating substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of September, 1895.

LUTHER S. FISH. Vitnesses O. H. DORER, ELLA E. TILDEN. 

